Harry Potter and the City of Zurgol
by DA-Phaunos
Summary: After a grizzly welcome home at the end of 5th year, Harry is forced into hiding and finds sanctuary in a city previously thought to be a myth.
1. Welcome Home

_After a grizzly welcome home at the end of 5th year, Harry is forced into hiding and finds sanctuary in a city previously thought to be a myth._

_Disclaimer: Let's all admit that yes, I do own everything in this story. And then you can slap yourself around the face with a wet trout. Of course I don't._

_AN: This story will follow Harry through the summer before his 6th year and possibly into the school year, or maybe not. Completely undecided! Isn't it just far more exciting this way?!_

**Chapt. One – Welcome home.**

The tension in the Dursleys' spacious and overly flashy new car could almost be tasted in the air. The large round man in the drivers seat cast almost continuous squinted glares into the rear-view mirror at his nephew. The man's wife in the front passenger seat was staring dead ahead as though afraid to miss some exciting development on the road ahead whilst their pudding of a son was managing to only take up one and a half seat in the back by seemingly trying to squeeze as much of himself against the car door as possible. Meanwhile the sad figure of Harry Potter sat oblivious to all of this as he sat with his hands and eyes in his lap.

After half of the hour-long journey from Kings Cross Station to their house in Surrey the driver finally broke the silence that had plagued the car since it left on its return trip.

"I suppose you think those _people_ will help you this summer, don't you boy?" the man snarled whilst watching the boy in the mirror. After a few seconds of yet more silence the man continued.

"You're wrong in assuming that, boy." He spat. "This summer we won't just be burdened with you in our house leeching our hard-earned money. Oh no. I'll have no more of it from you. From now on you earn your keep. You'll work like the rest of us or go without!" the man's moustache quivered with contempt before a low voice devoid of emotion replied with a simple "Yes Uncle Vernon."

The car settled back into the uneasy silence with the passing sounds of traffic and the quiet drone of the engine being the only sounds present.

As the group starting to approach their destination of Little Whinging the mood of two of the occupant started to change. The young black-haired boy started to feel an encroaching sense of dread and despair. Meanwhile in the drivers seat Vernon Dursley appeared to be growing apprehensive and was now glancing left and right almost constantly as though expecting someone or something to jump on the moving vehicle at any moment.

As the car took a right turn Harry Potter finally resigned himself to the fact that he was now stuck in Privet Drive for the foreseeable future until either he was rescued and taken to the house of the Weasley family, or to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix at some point during the summer. Harry tried not to think of the worst case scenario, if he was really unlucky, he'd have to wait the whole two and a half months until September 1st when he could leave to start his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

As the car reversed into the drive way Harry watched as Mrs Figg slowly made her way down the road from the alleyway leading to her house. Just as she drew level with the Dursleys front lawn she turned her head slightly to glance at the newly parked car and caught Harry's eye and offered him a small, barely noticeable smile and nod to which Harry returned. To anyone else who saw the exchange it would seem perfectly normal, but Harry was aware that the reason for Mrs Figg's conveniently timed stroll was more than likely ordered by Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Harry's school and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix just to name a few of the old man's many titles. Harry was brought back from his thoughts by the sound of his Aunt's whispered voice.

"Hurry up! Get your things and get inside before we lock you out for the night." hissed the long-necked woman.

Harry begrudgingly made his way to the boot of the car which had been left unceremoniously open for him to lift and drag his heavy trunk out of and then into the house. He carefully closed the boot of the car and then the front door before heaving his trunk quietly up the stairs and into his room at the top of the landing.

After leaving his trunk unopened at the end of his bed, Harry sat back against the headboard of his rather uncomfortable bed lost in thoughts of the past few weeks, but more specifically the death of his Godfather Sirius Black. No matter how many times he was told otherwise Harry couldn't shake off the fact that his Godfathers fault had been his fault. Granted, he didn't cast the curse that cause Sirius to fall through the Veil in the Death room, but it was his impulsive and reckless actions which led to his Godfather being there in the first place.

A short time later Harry became distantly aware of a tapping noise and slowly lifted his head from its resting place and looked towards the source of the noise.

"Hedwig!" Harry cried with the slight sound of a smile in his voice. "I forgot you'd be arriving tonight. Not going off hunting tonight girl?" he said cheerfully as he carefully slid open his window to let the Snowy Owl into the room.

The owl hooted softly as though to say thank you before hopping onto the desk under the window and then fluttering up into the open cage which was sat onto of the set of draws opposite the bed.

As Hedwig settled down and rested her head under her wing Harry turned back to the window to close it. As he reached across the desk he caught sight of movement in the row of bushes a few doors down. After a few seconds straining his eyes to try to see what caused the movement Harry passed off the movement as either one of the local cats, more than likely owned by Mrs Figg, or possibly as the hidden guard that was undoubtedly positioned in the area by the Order.

Harry turned away from the window shaking his head whilst muttering about Dumbledore's band of merry men and how cats have become the best _protection_ they force on him. The dark-haired boy's musings were cut short by a yell from the bottom of the stairs by his Uncle.

"BOY! GET DOWN HERE NOW."

Wondering what he had done wrong whilst being sat in his room Harry sighed and made his way downstairs and into the kitchen where the sound of multiple voices alerted Harry to the visitor who must have arrived while he was lost in thought.

Upon slowly entering the kitchen Harry glanced at the occupants and noticed his Aunt and Uncle sat opposite each other at the centre of the table and Dudley sat almost on top of his Aunt. He then noticed the two other occupants, one of whom was sat in Vernon's seat at the head of the table. Harry vaguely recognised the man and tried to cast his mind back to where he might have known the tall well build man from. After giving up trying to remember Harry turned his eyes to look at the final person in the room who was the only one standing. The woman was stood leaning against the work surface while glancing around the room and through the glass doors into the living room. Her long walnut hair swaying as she turned her head to look around the ground floor of the house.

After Harry looked back at his family and seeing no recognition that they noticed him enter he decided that he should make his presence known.

"Uncle Vernon? You wanted to see me?" Harry spoke quietly as though not to startle the short-tempered man.

Vernon sharply turned his head towards the boy and hissed in a low voice "I don't want to see your face, boy. It's these people who want to see you! God only knows why anyone would want to see you though." At this the woman standing raised an eyebrow and steadied her gaze at Vernon but stayed silent.

It was the man seated at the head of the table who spoke first in a low, almost rumbling voice. "Yes Harry, we needed to come and speak with you. We-"

At this point Harry interrupted what he thought was going to be a long-winded talk by asking simply, "Who are you?" To which the man, who seemed shocked to have been interrupted simply laughed a laugh which didn't quite reach his dark blue eyes.

"I apologise Potter. I am Hadrian Diggle. And I believe you have already met Nymphadora Tonks" With this Tonks glanced at Harry for the first time and nodded once before she started looked out through the living room and into the front garden.

Before Harry got a chance to think about the less the warm way that Tonks treated him with, he realised that the name the man had said was not the name of the Diggle he knew.

The man had obviously spotted Harry's apprehension and chuckled slightly before saying "Before you say anything, yes I am related to Dedalus. He is my cousin on my father's side." This seemed to quell Harry's doubts as he didn't interrupt when Hadrian continued talking.

"Dumbledore sent us. He wants us to take you over to where you stayed last summer." He said whilst giving Harry a knowing look. "I need you to quickly collect the things you will need for one night and then come with me while Tonks finishes packing the rest of your things and follows us."

After listening to this Harry couldn't help but swell a big with both dread and anticipation. He was going to be leaving the Dursleys after just a few hours! But the realisation of where he was going to be goings dampened his spirits considerably. By going to number 12 he would finally have to face the rest of the Order who would all no doubt want to hear his story of the night at the Ministry. But if that wasn't bad enough, he was going to have to do it in Sirius' house.

Hadrian turned to Tonks and nodded at her and then asked Harry to show her up to his room. Harry frowned at this as Tonks already knew where his room was, but Harry just put this down to the pair being polite and not wanting to presume things whilst in someone else's property.

Harry agreed and moved back into the hall towards the stairs with Tonks following behind. As Harry moved up the stairs careful to avoid the creaking step out of habit, he began to think about the odd behaviour of the young Auror behind him. Where had the fun, full of life young woman that he had met the previous year and why was she so cold towards him now? It was then that Harry's realisation hit him full force in the face.

_Sirius_.

Tonks and Sirius were cousins! She must blame him for getting Sirius killed.

As they approached the door to his room he opened it slowly and stood beside the door to let the woman in first he turned towards her and said in a low voice "I'm so sorry about Sirius. I know you must blame me, and I know it's entirely my fault, but please don't hate me." His voice took on an almost pleading sound to it as he spoke.

In response to this, the pretty face Tonks was wearing today formed into a scowl and her grey eyes glared deep into Harry as she uncaringly pushed passed Harry to get into the room.

Harry exhaled slowly and deeply before entering into the room. Once inside he opened the window and called the now alert Hedwig over to him before talking softly to her and telling her to fly to Ron whether he was at the Burrow or at Grimmauld Place.

As Harry watched Hedwig's steady rise into the now darkened skies he once again saw movement in the bushes further down the street. Once again Harry strained his eyes trying to see the cause of the movement, although this time to Harry's shock, the source of the movement emerged from the bushes. The small, yet unmistakable form of a Goblin pushed passed the bush and walked purposefully along the pavement. The Goblin was soon followed by two cloaked people. As they approached the driveway of the Dursley house the light from the street light illuminated the group.

Harry stared in realisation as he saw the face of the only Goblin he knew by name and the faces of two of the people he hated the most; Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange.

As Harry spun in a panic as he reached for his wand, he came face to face with Tonks who looked over his shoulder at the approaching group before saying in a voice that definitely did not belong to Nymphadora Tonks.

"Shit."


	2. Starts With A Bang

**Chapt. Two – Starts With A Bang**

Albus Dumbledore was a very tired and frustrated man. Since the Ministry of Magic had conceded and finally admitted that Voldemort had in fact returned, he had spent the last few weeks being hounded by an almost constant stream of Owls, all of which carrying letter pleading for him to help advise and reassure people all over Britain and further afield into mainland Europe on how to stop themselves from being attacked.

The Headmaster was sitting in his office reading through yet another letter from a mid-high Ministry Official who was obviously clamouring to get back in the old man's good books, even thought the newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot knew that not two weeks ago this same man from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had been quoted in the Daily Prophet as saying that Dumbledore was a 'deranged and probably dangerous individual who had lost his grasp on sanity and should be locked up for his own safety as well as the safety of the Magical population.'

After a slight chuckle and a shake of his head he added the letter to the, now rather large, pile that he would _sadly_ not be replying to. As he pondered on the political future of the Magical world in Britain and its future, his train of thought was soon diverted to the one young man who, according to Prophecy, was the only one to lead the country to a bright future.

Harry Potter.

There was no doubt in the Headmasters mind that the young Gryffindor had the potential to do great things in his life. The only problem for Harry was that statistically, being top of a Dark Lords 'To Kill' list tends to shorten ones estimated life expectancy quite drastically. It was because of this that Dumbledore had taken such an interest in the life and security of Harry Potter.

As the old Headmaster poured himself a fresh cup of tea and glared as yet another owl soared through one of his open windows clutching what looked like two or possibly three letters from the Ministry, Albus contemplated how to move forward with regards to Harry. So far Dumbledore had managed to influence the young mans life in a way that he left was best in the grand scheme of things. Albus had on multiple occasions defended his decision to send Harry to live with his Aunt and Uncle. While he was aware that Petunia's dislike for magic was strong, he had hoped that she would still love Harry because of the family link. When Hagrid had delivered Harry's first school letter the half-giant had reported back to the Headmaster that he had some major concerns about how Harry had been treated.

Although this concerned the Headmaster, a lot of his worries were put to bed once Harry arrived. Albus remembered the anxiousness he felt during the sorting, which only intensified when the Sorting hat took an abnormally long time to sort Harry. The relief flooded Dumbledore's body when the Hat finally shouted 'GRYFFINDOR' and Harry was welcomed into the folds of the House renown for producing strong and brave witches and wizards who _normally _steer well clear of the Dark arts.

Through-out the first five years of Harry's schooling the headmaster had kept a close eye on Harry and watched as he grew to become a very capable young man. His modesty endeared him to many while his ability to lead and help others in his fifth year lead Albus to believe that Harry could become all he hoped for from the beginning.

During the five years Harry had been at school Albus had deliberately allowed Harry the chances to grow and develop in the way he had planned. Harrys natural curiosity he inherited from his father no doubt helped with this side of Harry maturing.

With a long sigh Albus recalled the tragic events of June when Harrys godfather Sirius Black had fallen through the veil in the Death chamber and taking a curse from one of Voldemorts top lieutenants, Bellatrix Lestrange.

Dumbledore had spoken at great lengths with members of the Order of the Phoenix about how this would affect how they operate with regards to the protection they give Harry. It was almost a dead split between those who though Harry needed time to himself to come to terms with the loss and grieve for his godfather and those who thought he needed as much support as they could reasonably offer without smothering him.

In the end it was decided that after just two weeks Harry would be taken from Privet Drive and allowed to spend the rest of the summer holidays surrounded by friends. Many members, mainly the ones with red hair, had argued that he should not have to spend any time there as it was not the right place for a grieving person to be. However Dumbledore had rejected that on the notion that Harry had to spend a minimum of two weeks a year at his relatives house to insure that the blood protections would hold for another year.

As Dumbledore pondered on a way to increase the protection Harry had he was distracted by a faint rattling sound coming from a corner of his office. As he glanced up he saw that one of his many trinkets was vibrating softly whilst pulsing with a deep red and murky brown light.

Dumbledore frowned at this in a questioning way. The item in question was set to react when a person with magic entered the wards surrounding the Dursleys house.

Dumbledore shrugged this off after noticing that the time was close for the next pair of Order members to relieve the current pair. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the argument caused when he asked Nymphadora to take the evening shift for the first week of Harrys stay. She seemed to think it was unfair that she had to work the unsociable shift for six days straight before her day off.

The old wizards' merry chuckle died instantly when the trinket monitoring the wards emitted a loud bang and a large cloud of thick black smoke. Dumbledore sprang to his feet, wand in hand. He immediately sent a number of silver streaks out the open window before disappearing with a soft crack.

Less than ten seconds later in various homes and places across the country silver phoenixes arrived in front of their intended recipients and spoke with the urgent, worried yet somehow calm voice of Albus Dumbledore.

"The wards protecting Harry have fallen. Your help is needed."

In all the locations across the country loud cracks could be heard before the second part of the short message could be spoken.

* * *

As Dumbledore arrived at his destination just outside where the wards securing the property should finish he immediately noticed the distinct lack of wards in the area. After taking a few seconds to properly look around he could see no obvious dangers so briskly walked the twenty metres to the bushes across from the Dursleys house where the ward stone anchoring the strongest and most vital wards was hidden.

Before he covered even half the distance he could see the disturbance in the bushes and earth underneath. Upon seeing this, his wand slid from the inside of his robe sleeve into his right hand and he began to stride across the road towards the house. As he approached the drive way of the house one door down from the Dursleys he saw a small number of people appear a short way in front of him. One quick look quashed the bad feeling he had when he recognised the sight of Arthur Weasley and four of his six sons.

Before any words were spoken the eldest Weasley child, Bill ran towards the ward stone whilst the remaining four men made their way to the Headmaster.

As Arthur came within ten feet of the Professor he urgently asked "What's going on? Where's Harry?"

Before he could answer a series of cracks could be heard from either end of the street. Looking behind the Weasley men, Albus could see at least six more members of the Order arriving as well as one slowly appearing from across the street who was obviously one of the current guards on the property. As Albus looked back at the Weasley's to tell them to follow him into the property he saw the fearful looks on their faces before quickly turning around and seeing the reason for the fear.

"Death Eaters." He heard the second eldest Weasley boy, Charlie say somewhere between a growl and a whimper.

Just at the first glance Dumbledore counted at least double the number of Death Eaters as Order members, but he had faith that his people could deal with the trouble as not all the Order members he had sent messages to had arrived yet.

Dumbledore cast the first spell and aimed directly in to the unorganised group of black-robed figures. A thick, violet colour beam of light shot out the end of Dumbledore's wand and into the crowd of Death Eaters, where the light struck one of the figures who dropped like a stone. Instead if dissipating on contact the beam bounced off the now unconscious form and into another, again the person fell to the ground. The spell continued on and took out two more people before the spell broke out of the crowd and fizzled out.

This seemed to spur the rest into action. As the Death Eaters tried to organise themselves into some kind of formation which would allow them to both more forward and revive their fallen comrades.

The Order of the Phoenix acted almost on instinct. The Weasley twins, Fred and George dived towards their eldest brother, who was crouched behind a small wall next to the bushes which covered the ward stone he had been working on. The twins started to fire a large range of curses and hexes at the Death Eaters who had taken up positions on the far side of the road. With Bill being covered he was able to start work on establishing some easy to erect wards designed to give a slight energy boost to those who were keyed into it. As soon as the ward was up he started to key in the Order members present as well as Harry.

Neither side seemed to be making any ground as curses flew across what was quickly turning into a small battlefield. Dumbledore was crouching behind a conjured steel barrier in front of the Dursleys house with Arthur, Charlie and the retired Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody.

Moody's magical eye was constantly spinning, taking in all the battle while constantly shouting out to his fellow fighters about how to best fight back.

Dumbledore was firing a quick succession of spells over the barrier, causing a number of Death Eaters robes to catch fire and one to keel over stiff as a board.

After the quick barrage he called to the three men he was with. After they all finished the string of curses they were sending at a small group of the enemy who were hunkered down by a car 30 metres down the road they turned their attention to their leader.

Albus calmly spoke to them as though discussing the latest Quidditch scores. "Go to the house. Arthur, I want you to cover the door. Alastor, I want you and Charlie to find Harry and take him to Headquarters. When you have him, send green sparks out of the window and we shall all meet you there. If for some reason he is not there, send out red sparks. Go now."

As the two Weasley's ran towards the door, Mad-Eye conjured a heavy barrier to cover the short distance as he limped quickly to the house. As he got to the door Mad-Eye sent a high-powered unlocking charm at the door causing it to bang open loudly.

The moment the door opened a wave of magical energy pulsed out, causing everyone within a hundred metres of the property to be thrown off their feet. By the time the first people were scrambling to their feet and looking towards the house they noticed with horror the house which had five seconds ago been looking pristine was now ablaze on the ground floor with smoke starting to pour out of the open front door and the front window. However the slightly more alarming sight was the almost constant stream of spellfire flashes that could be seen in the windows of the first floor.

At the sight of this a number of the wounded Death Eaters took it as their signal that their job was done and disapparated away to tend to their injuries. The remaining group of black clad fighters only stayed around long enough to fire a series of powerful blasting hexes and explosive curses at the Order members before vanishing with a series of loud cracks.

Order members run forward to douse the flames that seemed to be confined to the hallway leading from the front door to the kitchen at the back of the house and the living room to the left of the hallway. As a number of people started to cast water spells into the house, Mad-Eye used his magical eye to look up through the house to where the spellfire was coming from.

"The kid's not alone up there." He stated in his gruff voice to Albus who had just arrive after securing a Death Eater who had been unable to get away.

"And who is up there with him Alastor?" Dumbledore enquired as he cast a powerful jet of water into the house, almost immediately lowering the intensity of the flames.

"Can't be too sure. One man down at the top of the stairs. Don't recognise him. Could be anyone." The old Auror said, slipping back into his informative feedback mode from his time in the Aurors.

Dumbledore listened intently as his spell finished dousing the flames between the door and the stair case.

"The boy's in one of the back bedrooms in the far corner. Fighting against two. Malfoy and the Lestrange woman it looks like. So much for Azkaban.." growled Moody.

The Order members in earshot all gasped at this revelation. Albus and Arthur who were next to Moody both paled considerably before making to move forward into the house before Moody updated his commentary.

"Looks like he has help. One female fighting with him. Look to be holding their own. But Harry looks tired and hurt. Get in there." Dumbledore was already across the threshold and on the bottom step of the staircase before Moody had finished his update.

As Dumbledore came to the top of the stairs he stepped over the body of the unknown man and turned left just in time to hear a yell followed quickly by a crack. Wand drawn in front he quickly advanced through the hallway and into what was obviously the master bedroom, but currently looked like a bomb site.

All the furniture was completely destroyed and the chilling sight of a blood stain splatter across the far wall. As Dumbledore surveyed the damage he heard the distinctive sound of Moody and his wooden leg walk up behind him.

"What happened?" the Headmaster asked without looking at his old friend.

"The boy's shield failed. Girl took a cutting curse to the shoulder" he said pointing to the blood splatter "two seconds later she grabbed the boy and disapparated away. Malfoy and Lestrange went as soon as the boy was gone."

After a few moments in which Dumbledore appeared to be deep in thought, Arthur asked quietly "Where's Harry?" to which Moody replied "Unknown. Girl looked liked Tonks in the disguise she used for the Gibbons' and MacIntosh case a few years back. The girl probably took him to Headquarters when she got injured."

There were a few murmurs of agreement before an unusually timid voice from the back of the now small crowd outside the room said "But sir, I'm here."

All heads snapped towards the voice and saw a very bedraggled looking Tonks sporting a black eye and split lip.

The young Auror sighed deeply sounding defeated before she whispered quietly to herself.

"Shit."


	3. Escape Route

**Chapt Three – Escape Route**

Harry landed in a dark alleyway before stumbling to his left, hitting a solid object and then falling to the ground on his right. With the adrenaline still pumping, it only took him a few seconds to scramble back against the wall behind him and wildly aim his wand down the alley he found himself in.

Breathing heavily, he started to take notice of his surroundings. Ahead of him he could see faint lights coming from the street ahead which looks vaguely familiar to him, but in the current darkness he couldn't work out why.

As he started to slowly get his breathing back under control he was startled by a brief yet bright burst of pale blue light which illuminated the person standing to his left, followed by a quiet hiss of pain. Harry levelled his wand at the person with a stunning spell on his lips but before his could utter a word, the person spoke in a soft yet harsh feminine voice.

"Don't aim that at me Potter. If I wanted you dead your corpse would be cold by now."

After a few moments Harry lowered his wand to a less threatening position but still kept a firm grip. He could feel the tiredness creeping up on him as the adrenaline began to ebb away. He asked with a tired tone, "Who are you?" while squinting into the darkness to try to make out the face of the woman who had apparently saved his life.

"Not an enemy" was the only response he got to his questions before being told to "Get off the floor and follow me." Harry wearily but hastily got to his feet and hurried to catch up to the woman who now seemed to be striding purposefully towards the end of the alleyway towards the street.

As Harry got closer to the lit street he began to pick out more details and suddenly realised where he was.

"Diagon Alley?" exclaimed the wizard as he caught up with the young witch.

"Well done" commented the nameless woman in a dry tone. "Would you like a medal?"

This caused Harry to stop mid-step, blink and frown at the back of the woman's head as she entered Diagon Alley and headed left. Shaking his head and hurrying to catch up with woman, Harry considered how he was going to let people know where he was. As much as he loathed being babysat by Order members he did understand why it was necessary for them to do so.

After once again catching up to the woman, Harry noticed that they were crossing the small square and heading straight for the front steps of Gringotts Bank. After seeing Griphook the goblin in the presence of, and seemingly assisting Death Eaters only ten minutes earlier Harry paused at the bottom of the stairs and gripped his wand tighter.

Having apparently noticed that the person she was walking with was no longer by her side, she sighed while still walking and called back to Harry whilst keeping her head forward.

"Don't stop there _Chosen One._ The Goblins won't hurt you while you with me."

As she said this, her voice took on a patronising tone that made Harry wonder what he'd done to piss her off. None-the-less Harry started to make his way up the steps towards the large Bronze doors. As the pair approached the imposing closed doors of Gringotts Harry couldn't help but wonder why they were coming to a seemingly closed bank. However just as Harry was opening his mouth to ask, the woman in front of him confidently pushed on one of the bronze doors and to Harry's surprise it opened easily for her. Before they had made even five steps inside the Goblin ran bank Harry heard a commanding and threatening voice call "Halt!" in a way that made Harry freeze instantly.

"State your business _humans_" was the next phrase Harry heard. Harry turned to his left and saw four Goblin guards, all dressed in scarlet and gold uniforms and carrying very dangerous looking daggers in their left hands.

At this point Harry was perfectly willing to turn and walk straight back out the door rather than confront the small yet powerful looking guards. However it was the calm and confident voice of the still unidentified woman who replied.

"I need to speak with Ragnok."

After this simple statement a guard sneered at the two humans and replied "Ragnok will not be disturbed by _Potter_ and whoever you are. So I advise you leave. Now."

At this, the woman in front of Harry spun to her left to look at the Goblin who had spoke. As she spun she withdrew her wand from her left sleeve, but instead of cursing the Goblin as Harry had feared, she turned the wand on herself and muttered a spell that Harry could only just hear.

"_Finite Incantatem'_

Almost immediately her body seemed to begin to shrink from her imposing six feet tall stature. Her previously dark brown hair was gradually turning red. After no more than ten seconds the person who stood in front of Harry was completely unrecognisable as the woman who fought Death Eaters with Harry only fifteen minutes ago. She now stood at no more than 5"3 and her burgundy hair hung straight, reaching to the middle of her back. As she turned slightly Harry could see that her unyielding grey eyes were now a deep blue and had a hint of warmth to them. Her face had changed from angular and striking to a much softer appearance with almost delicate features. But still, the most shocking thing to Harry was the apparent age change. Before, the woman looked to be in her early-mid twenties, around the same age as Tonks. But now she seemed to have de-aged almost ten years. Harry immediately was stunned by the fact that she looked no older than him, which left the young wizard gaping at her.

Meanwhile her eyes were locked on the Goblin guard who seemed stunned at the change. After a few moments life seemed to come back to the Guard who bowed slightly at the waist and started speaking quickly.

"I apologise my lady. I was not aware that it was you! Of course you may go through to the Directors Office. Will your friend be joining you?"

Harry's stunned expression quickly changed its focus. He'd never heard of a Goblin being anything more than civil towards humans. But this, what had to be described as young girl, seemed to have the deepest respect from the Goblins, all of which had sheathed their daggers the moment they saw her after the face change.

The brief silence was broken by the girl who allowed a small smile to grace her lips and replied to the Goblin by saying "That's quite alright, and yes, Potter will be coming with me." With that said Harry obediently followed the girl after she had shared a friendly yet formal goodbye with the guards.

As they walked briskly through the main hall of the bank Harry took the chance to look around the bank. He heard a large grandfather clock ticking loudly behind one set of counters signalling that the time was now nearing eleven pm. With this in mind Harry was surprised to see a number of Goblins still working at their high desks on either side of the hall.

The pair moved past the towering desks at the front of the hall and Harry was led past a number of doors before coming to a set of doors similar in looks to the main front doors, although these stood at around eight feet tall. The girl pushed to doors and they smoothly opened up to reveal a grand hallway in a similar design to the main hall, with the white marble architecture showing the wealth and importance of the offices in the hall way.

As they reached the end of the hall way a single door stood in front of them. The girl approached and rapped her knuckles four times on the door and then entered swiftly, leaving the door open for Harry to follow her inside.

After Harry quietly closed the door, he turned and got his first proper look at the room he had walked into. The room's dominating feature was unquestionably the desk. It was at least six foot long and from what little Harry knew about woods, he guessed it was made out a mahogany. There were no windows in the room and the walls were covered completely with bookcases except for a section behind the desk which held a cabinet which housed a number of artefacts that Harry presumed were all ridiculously valuable.

Harry's thoughts on the decor were interrupted by a gravelly voice from behind the desk.

"You know, you're supposed to wait outside until called in."

Harry looked at the owner of the voice and saw an aged Goblin with short silver hair. His beady eyes were peering over glasses that were placed precariously at the end of his long nose with a hint of amusement at the slightly rude interruption.

The girl looked guiltily to the floor while tucking a lock of her deep red hair behind her ear and a slight blush crept onto her cheek as muttered a quiet apology to the aged Goblin.

The Goblin responded in a way that shocked Harry almost as much as the rest of the night's antics.

'_A Goblin laughing?' _Harry thought to himself with a slightly stunned expression on his face.

After the Goblin, who Harry presumed must be Ragnok, had finished his chuckle, he beckoned to Harry and the Girl and offered them two straight backed wooden seats in front of his desk before walking around to the back of the best and taking his own seat. Once he was sat down the Goblin leaned forward with his elbows on the table with his long fingers laced together in a way that reminded Harry slightly of the Headmaster.

Whilst looking at the red-headed girl the Goblin spoke in his gravelly voice. "I'm glad you were able to persuade Mr Potter here to join us for this meeting." At this the Goblin turned to look Harry in the eye and continued on to say "As I'm sure you are aware by now, I am Ragnok, Director of Gringotts Bank, and Head of One of the Seven Clans of Zurgol. Now, as to why you are here."

Ragnok must have noticed the confused and bewildered look on Harrys' face because he paused and tilted his head slightly before leaning back and asking; "Is something wrong Mr Potter?"

Harry took a few seconds before finding his voice and croaking out "I'm s.. sorry Sir, but.. um.. what's going on? One minute I'm being told the I'm going to be spending my summer with friends and the next thing I know I'm being attacked by Death Eaters, my street's turned into a warzone and this woman who hasn't even told me her name" he pointed vaguely at the girl to his right "is now a girl and I'm being practically dragged into this bank."

"WHAT?" roared the small Goblin jerking his head between the two humans. "Why did you not tell me of this?" He questioned while facing the girl before pausing slightly, "..and why have you not told him your name?" he added this last sentence with a slightly more confused tone.

The girl raised a delicate eyebrow in response and spoke with a hint of humour in her voice.

"Oh so I was supposed to have told you _before_ I got here? Silly me, how could I be so stupid." As she began her next sentence her voice took on a more cool tone. "The _celebrity_ over there didn't need to know my name so I didn't tell him. Just because he enjoys the fame doesn't mean I want everybody knowing who I am." she sneered while looking at Harry with a look of disdain on her face.

"I don't enjoy my fame! I wish nobody knew who I was!" Harry defended angrily while staring daggers at the slender form of the girl.

"Of course you don't" she commented sarcastically.

"ENOUGH."

The heads of the two young humans snapped back from their glaring contest with each other to face the small humanoid behind the desk. Ragnok had an urgent and worried look on his face which caused both humans too look down slightly embarrassed by their outbursts.

As the both mumbled apologies, the Goblin waved a hand as though to dismiss their apology. He turned to Harry and started talking in a calm voice, losing some of the gravelly texture that his voice previously carried.

"Now, for starters, Mr Potter, I would like you to properly meet the lady next to you. Mr Potter, this extraordinary young woman is Fi-"

"Phoenix. Just call me Phoenix" She interrupted in a fed up tone.

"Very well," sighed Ragnok "you may call her Phoenix, Mr Potter."

Harry looked at Phoenix "Nice to meet you" He said attempting a small smile "..and uh, well.. thanks for saving me earlier." He added nervously.

Harry watched the reaction Phoenix gave and was confused to see the hint of surprise and slightly wide eyes on her face before the look disappeared and was replaced by a slight distrusting glare.

"Anything for _The-Boy-Who-Lived" _she whispered in a quiet voice before turning back to Ragnok who was looking at her with a small frown, yet didn't comment.

"Now you two are acquainted, shall we move on to more important matters?" Ragnok asked in his gravelly tone. He didn't wait for a response from either people before turning to look at Phoenix.

"Right then, first off. Where's Mr Diggle? Did he fall to the Death Eaters? And how were they able to get to you? Were they waiting outside the wards for you?"

The quick barrage of questions left Harry's head spinning slightly and he was glad it wouldn't have to be him who answered. Phoenix on the other hand took it all in her stride and replied calmly yet with venom in her voice.

"Diggle is dead. No he didn't fall to the Death Eaters, he fell to me. At least I hope he did. Pathetic traitor." she spat the words as though they were poison. "He set us up. One minute everything's going to plan, only a couple of minutes away from leaving, then next thing we know, two Death Eaters are walking up the garden path with a Goblin next to them. A GOBLIN? How did we not know about this?" her voice rising the more she spoke until she was full on screaming.

The Director seemed to pale considerably during her rant and by the end was almost colourless with his beady eyes as wide as saucers. "They took the wards down?" he asked urgently. "Those wards kept out anyone with a Dark Mark. The Goblin must be trained in wards. Either one of the banks or from one of the exiled clans.." He started muttering to himself and Harry could only pick out words such as 'Council' and 'send feelers.' As the muttering died down Harry spoke up quietly.

"Um, Sir? The Goblin at Privet Drive.. It was Griphook. He worked here. I remember him from when he showed me to my vault the summer I turned eleven."

"WHAT?! Griphook? No, impossible!" roared the Goblin before swiftly standing from his chair and almost running to the cabinet behind his desk. He placed his hand on the glass and muttered a sentence quietly and the glass seemed to melt out of existence. As he turned back around Harry saw him carrying a pensieve and placing it on the table at one side of the desk.

"Mr Potter am I correct in assuming you know what this is?"

"A pensieve Sir?"

"Correct, correct. And you know how to put memories into one?"

"Oh, er.. no Sir. I've only ever seen other peoples memories."

"Not a problem Mr Potter. If you just recall the memory of the Goblin you saw tonight and then place your wand against your right temple and slowly withdraw in after five seconds, a trace of the memory should be withdrawn as well. Then simply place it inside the bowl and I shall take a look."

Harry did this, remembering clearly in his mind the sight of the small group walking from the bushes outside the houses opposite, across the road and approaching number four. With his wand tip pointed at his own head he focused on the memory before withdrawing it slowly. He felt the slight release as a copy of the memory was removed and the memory strand gently tickled his head as it left.

Once he placed the strand into the bowl Ragnok took no time before dipping his face into the bowl and being sucked into the bowl.

As Harry sat back in his chair he glanced to his right at Phoenix who had remained quiet since her outburst. As he turned he saw her looking at him for a brief moment before turning away and looking intently at the desk in front of her.

Harry continued to watch the red-head for a few more moments before a disturbance signalled the reappearance of Ragnok at the side of his desk.

Ragnok stumbled slightly as he made his way back to the high backed chair behind the desk. As he sat down he rested his elbows of the arms of the chair and stared at his now laced fingers.

Harry and Phoenix sat in silence with slightly confused and puzzled looks on their faces before Ragnok spoke quietly, almost as though only he was meant to hear.

"Well this changes everything.." was his soft remark.

After a few more seconds Ragnoks' head lifted sharply and looked at Phoenix. His eyes stayed glued to hers for almost a minute before he turned to Harry and started speaking.

"Mr Potter, I asked Phoenix and Mr Diggle to bring you here today simply for a discussion. The Goblin community are not trusted or respected enough to be made privy to important information regarding a certain Dark Lord. We need information on both sides of this.. clash of ideals. It is information that allows us to maintain the magical economy. Humans often forget that without our services they would have little to no banking system or economy control. The Dark Lord and his lapdogs see us as vermin and unworthy so we cannot hope to easily gain information on them. However, Dumbledore will not assist us because he is too secretive. And now, with your ministry getting involved it is even harder for us because of our _very _limited rights in the presence of magical humans. Now, the Council of Elders have discussed your role within this 'war' as you are calling it and have come to the consensus that you will likely not play a large part in the decisions made. Such decisions in your culture are apparently decided by those who are 'the most wise,' which seems to mean those in the positions of power, not those who have the best ideas. We understand this, however, in future years we believe you will be taking a more active role and will come into positions of leadership. If we are right with regards to this, then it has been decided we should build certain bridges with you and the new generation of human leaders."

At this point Harry was madly trying to process everything the aged Goblin had said whilst Ragnok reached across his desk and poured himself a goblet of water. Could Ragnok be trying to say that the Goblin Council are trying to improve Goblin-Human relations by talking to him? How could talking to a school boy help?

"Confused Mr Potter?"

"Uh, well.. Yes. Why me? Why am I important to your society Sir?"

"You have just shown a number of reasons. You refer to me as 'Sir.' This title is not a Goblin title, and so no human ever uses it. To me, this shows that you hold no preconceptions about our race and that you do not see me as inferior you see us, dare I say, as equals. This could just be because of your lack of knowledge on our culture, but none-the-less, calling a Goblin 'Sir' is the height of respect a human can give a Goblin. . You were also able to recall the name and face of a single Goblin you met almost five years ago. This again, is very rare amongst humans. You could walk into your Ministry tomorrow and ask the whole Goblin Liaison Office who the Director of Gringotts Bank is as it is likely less than half would know, and they deal with my race on a daily basis." The Goblin paused while Harry took in what he was saying before continuing "That is why you are important Mr Potter."

The small Goblin suddenly looked up before saying "Oh my" and then rushing over to a bookcase on the left side of the room. He then pulled on a book which acted as a lever that caused the bookcase to melt into the wall behind it revealing a very ornate black marble fireplace.

"Dumbledore and his people will be worried about you by now. I wasn't expecting to have to tell him about this little chat, but now it seems I have no choice."

Ragnok took a small pinch of powder from the small pot carved into the marble and threw it into the fire and calling "Hogwarts!" in a loud and clear voice as the fire flared green his stuck his head into it and the two humans could hear muffled talking for a very short time before Ragnok jumped back and said "looks like we're to have visitors" with a hint of amusement in his voice.

As soon as the words had left his mouth the fire flared green and the form of Albus Dumbledore emerged with an anxious and worried look on his face.

Without even brushing the soot and ash off his midnight blue robes adorned with gold moons the old Professor hurried towards Harry.

"Harry my boy! Are you hurt?" Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes seemed to scan his body as though searching for injuries.

"I'm okay Professor. Phoenix got me out of there before things got too nasty"

At this the Headmasters eyes moved to survey the small girl who was now standing at the far side of the room with her arms folded across her small frame. His eyes took her in for a brief time before a question came to his lips that was answered before he spoke it.

"Glamour's."

Dumbledore seemed to process this answer before nodding slightly.

"Well, I presume you are done here now Director? Perhaps I can now escort Harry to spend some time with his friends?"

At this Harry's head immediately shot up and a look of hope was evident in his eyes.

"I'm afraid that might not be possible" Ragnok replied in a grave tone. "Your buildings protected by wards established within the last two hundred years will no longer guarantee Mr Potter's safety."

"And what makes you say that Director?" Dumbledore asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"The reason Death Eaters where able to gain entrance to Mr Potters residence this evening is because all but one ward was removed. As I'm sure you have found out from Mr William Weasley the ward stone was entirely disassembled. I presume the only ward which remains on the property is the Blood Ward preventing the Dark Lord from entering. As of now any Death Eaters not directly related by blood to the Dark Lord, which I believe means all of them, can walk straight into the property."

"The Dark Lord has in his service at least one Goblin who is _very_ capable at removing wards. As I'm sure you noticed the wards were all completely removed in under ten seconds. The Goblin who did this has very recently been exiled from the Goblin community and so will likely stay in service to the Dark Lord. Because of this, no Human warded settlement or property can be made safe. As soon as the location is roughly known, the Goblin will be able to find the ward stone as disable it."

Harry thought the look on Dumbledore's face would have been priceless if they weren't talking about his safety. His eyes were almost bulging out their sockets and he could almost hear his great mind working through the options.

Finally the Headmaster seemed to come to a decision. He looked between Ragnok and Harry before saying "Harry, would you like to spend the summer at Hogwarts? I know most young men don't wish to spend their summer holidays at their schools, but you always have wished you could do so." The twinkle in his eyes was as bright as ever and Harry found himself almost agreeing without hesitation until the sound of a small cough stopped him.

"Mr Potter, if I may, I believe I may have a different option for you. The Goblin who helped the Death Eaters was a member of my Clan, and as such it is written in our laws that the Clan must owe you a debt until either the Clan dies out or you or your future heirs deem it to have been repaid. As a start of repaying this debt, I am willing to allow you sanctuary in Zurgol."

"Harry, I strongly believe that Hogwarts would be the best place for you to be." Dumbledore stated in response. "Our wards are as old as the castle. The Goblin in question would not be able to remove them. Death Eaters will not be able to get to you."

Harry involuntarily let out a snort before saying "With all due respect Professor, in the last five years Hogwarts has been home to Voldemort, a Basilisk, Wormtail, Crouch Jr, and Umbridge. It hasn't proved to be that safe for me so far." He turned to Ragnok before asking politely "What would arrangements in Zurgol be?"

To this Ragnok seemed to smile slightly before he spoke "Security wise, you would be as safe as we could make it. A debt owed to a Council Clan means that the other Clans on the Council will aid in the repayment, so in this case, we could ask for either their assistance in your security, or at least for them all to simply stay out of your way. You would be one of only two humans in Zurgol, the other is standing behind you." he waved his hand in the direction of Phoenix who was still stood at the far end of the room and didn't acknowledge the mentioning of her.

"As for more domestic issues, we will provide you with accommodation and provisions. You may spend your time however you see fit. You will not be allowed visitors, however our adapted floo networks will allow for fire calls in and out, but no floo travel. Owls will of course be allowed to deliver messages to you and such, and you may leave and return whenever you wish."

Harry turned to Dumbledore who seemed to be deep in thought. As he was watching he saw Dumbledore's eyes dim slightly before saying "I strongly suggest that you do stay at Hogwarts. It is where we can best keep an eye on you."

It was the wording of the last sentence that made Harry decide where to go. On one side, he had people who wanted to watch him constantly and wrap him in cotton wool, where as on the other side, he had a people who wanted to look after him, yet give him his freedom. So after a minute of careful consideration Harry spoke up.

"I'll go to Zurgol"


	4. Prior Knowledge

**Chapt Four – Prior Knowledge**

"I'll go to Zurgol"

Those few words cause a wide range of reactions from the other three occupants in the room.

Dumbledore sighed deeply, eyes closed and with a dejected look on his face. Phoenix was still stood at the far side, now with a disapproving scowl. Ragnok on the other hand was sat behind his desk with a proud and content little smile on his face. It was the little Goblin who spoke up first;

"Very well Mr Potter! I'm sure the Headmaster and his associates have gathered your possessions from Privet Drive" he half enquired turning to look at the Headmaster, who simply nodded, still with a dejected look. "In that case I would suggest that they are delivered here shortly so we can move Mr Potter tonight, he is looking rather tired after all."

As that was said Harry let out a long yawn which he tried to hide behind his hand before apologising embarrassed. He then realised just how tired he was and that by now, with the time being almost one A.M that he had been awake for almost twenty hours which included a fight for his life.

"Phoenix, would you mind finding Forge Master Kurl and inform him of that Mr Potter will be arriving shortly."

In response to this request from Ragnok, Phoenix nodded briefly before departing the room through the door without a word, her deep red her swishing behind her as she turned.

Ragnok then asked Dumbledore if he could have Harrys things brought to the bank, to which Dumbledore sighed before nodding in agreement and then muttering a few words followed by a flick of his wand, causing what Harry recognised as a Patronus speed off through the wall.

Dumbledore then quietly spoke "Your belongings will arrive at the main entrance of the Bank shortly Harry." This sentence shocked Harry, not for the words used, but the sound of defeat in the Headmasters voice. Harry couldn't help but remember the last time he had seen the Headmaster. He remembered the feeling of betrayal and anger he felt towards the headmaster after he found out the information that had been held back from him for years. Finding out that your life would have to either involve murder or end in it.

"Wonderful!" Exclaimed Ragnok cheerfully. "Now while we wait for your things, is there anything you would like to know Mr. Potter?"

Harry was caught off-guard with this question. For most of his short life he had been told never to ask questions. The only questions he really asked on a regular basis were academic. Yet now he was being giving the chance to ask anything he wished? His mind raced with possible questions to ask the Goblin. He didn't want to seem rude by asking a question of a personal nature, yet he didn't want to pass up the opportunity with a pointless question. Harry thought back to when Ragnok had said he planned on building bridges with the future leaders of the human people and so came up with a question that, although very simple, could possibly help in the start on the bridge building process.

"Well Sir, I.. I'd like to know more about Zurgol if you don't mind?

Ragnoks mouth turned upwards slightly and he chuckled seemingly to himself briefly before speaking.

"Mr Potter that is the question I hoped you would ask. Luckily, I am only too happy to answer for you."

Ragnok then paused and took a drink from the glass on his desk. Harry presumed this was to give him time to think about how to start to answer such a broad question.

"Zurgol, is the current homeland of the British Goblins. Very few humans even know of its continued existence. Most believe it was abandoned and/or destroyed after the 1612 Uprising, or Rebellion as you will more likely have been told." During the last part of the sentence Ragnoks voice took on more of a growl as he obviously touched on a subject that, nearly 400 years on, still caused resentment and anger within the Goblin community. "We as a nation did nothing to quell these rumours and beliefs and after a few generations passed, the existence of Zurgol became a myth told by some as a fairytale. With you now gaining the knowledge, the number of Humans who know of Zurgol has now reached nine. The others who know are Phoenix, Headmaster Dumbledore, the Lady Longbottom, her Grandson and the four surviving members of the Greengrass family. The location of Zurgol herself remains unknown by the young Longbottom Heir, the two Greengrass daughters, and the Headmaster." Harry was shocked by this bit of information, and the sudden turning of his head to face the Headmaster and the rising of his eyebrows did nothing to hide the fact.

"My boy, even someone such as myself is not privy to all the information in the world." Dumbledore said with a small chuckle.

"Now, as you will be staying in Zurgol, it is natural that you will need to know where it is you are living!" With that said Ragnok removed a small key from the pocket of his waistcoat and unlocked a hidden draw to the right on his desk. From it he removed small tightly furled scroll and reached over the desk and offered it to Harry. Harry hastily reached over to meet the scroll half way across the desk before sitting back down and untying the small deep purple coloured ribbon around the scroll. As Harry carefully unrolled the parchment he saw Dumbledore turn away from Harry slightly in a move that surprised him as Harry presumed that Dumbledore would at least be curious as to know where the mysterious Zurgol was.

Once the parchment was unravelled Harry could see an A4 size map of the UK and Ireland. At first Harry was confused as there was no obvious marking showing where Zurgol was. It took him a few seconds to notice something that didn't look quite right. Harry's knowledge of the geography of the world was not brilliant by any stretch of the imagination; however his knowledge of the UK, Ireland and the surrounding seas and oceans was definitely at least acceptable due to an old poster map Dudley had once been given that now hung opposite Harrys bed in Privet Drive. Harrys curious gaze was focused on the Irish sea. He was still not sure why, but it somehow seemed to look odd to him. He glanced up and saw Ragnok watching him with a small smile on his face.

"If you think you see it, tap the area with your wand" was the only advice the Goblin give him.

Harry dutifully complied, tapping his wand in the middle of the Irish Sea. Before his eyes the map seemed to zoom in on the area. The map now showed the East Coast of Ireland, the majority of Northern Ireland, North Wales, the North West of England and the very South West of Scotland. Now Harry could see more clearly, he could see why the map looked strange to him.

There was an extra Island!

In the middle of the Irish Sea, directly in the middle of the triangle of water between Dublin, Holyhead and the Isle of Man was an Island roughly half the size of the Isle of Man.

When Harry saw this he almost immediately dropped the map into his lap, looked up at Ragnok of said;

"Zurgol is-" At this point the words caught in his throat and he couldn't continue his sentence.

Ragnok had a slightly amused look on his face as he observed the young man in front of him struggling to speak. He then spoke in an amused tone.

"Well, it's good to know the secrecy charms still work."

At this, Harry realised why he could not speak and laughed as a slight blush crept onto his cheeks.

Harry took one last look at the map before offering it back to Ragnok. The Director took it off Harry and placed it back into the draw from which it came. After the lock clicked Dumbledore turned back to face inwards. As he did this a silver lynx soared through the wall before stopping in front of the Headmaster and opened its mouth, speaking in Kingsley Shacklebolts' low rumbling voice.

"At the Entrance with the boys' trunk. Guards don't look happy to see us."

All three people occupying the room snorted at the last bit of the message. Dumbledore swiftly stood up from his seat and excused himself as he went to retrieve Harrys' possessions, leaving Harry alone with the Director for the first time.

"Sir, what else could you tell me of Zurgol?" Harry asked with a slightly eager yet partially restrained look on his face.

"Well Mr. Potter, Zurgol as you have seen, is an Island." Harry noticed how now that Dumbledore had left the room they were able to state the location. "The Island itself, is officially called the Isle of Zur, meaning 'Free' in our native language. The Island has been a home to my people now for almost two thousand years. It started off as a simple Island settlement for all magical people and creatures. But as more of my people settled on the Island, the human population became outnumbered and gradually they started to leave back to the mainland of either Britain or Ireland. By the early 1500s only a handful of humans still lived amongst us. By that time the vast majority of the Goblin nation lived on the Island and my ancestors had created a whole thriving city underneath the mountains in the north of the Island."

"Our society is fairly simple. As you may well guess we thrive at economical control, and because of that, Zurgol often acts as a trading point and central hub for many of the magical races. Our markets are enormous and are populated by Goblins, Centaurs, Elves, Dwarves and a number of other lesser known races. All of our citizens have a trade, even our soldiers are proficient in a profession. It would not do well for them if they were to be wounded to the extent where they can no longer serve and have no options open to them outside of the military."

"Our military force is considerable. We fight with both magic and weapons. Without trying to sound boastful, our military is one of the best currently in existence. We currently have just under Twenty-five thousand serving members, with another Thirty thousand reservists who can, and will take arms if we need them to."

Harry was listening avidly to the Director's speech, however as the Goblin spoke of its military strength a question sprung to Harry's lips.

"Why do you need such a large army? If your Island is so well hidden surely the size of your army could be smaller.. Sir?" Harry remembered his manners at the end and quickly added the last word to try to avoid upsetting the Goblin who Harry had started to like as they spoke more.

Ragnok observed Harry for a minute, his eyes glued to Harrys as though gauging his intent. After a short pause he seemed to decide that the question was innocent and held no extra motives.

"We have a long tradition of military strength. We are a proud people. Our military strength gives our people confidence. We are sandwiched between two populations of humans. If the British Ministry of Magic discovered that they had a large population of Goblins living just off their shores, how do you think they would react? Humans by nature are animals. They fear what they can not control. Few are as open minded as you are Mr Potter. As you have seen this night, no wards are unbreakable. Our military is our main defence of our lands. During times of relative calm, such as before the rise of the one you call Lord Voldemort, our forces have acted as a mercenary force. We lend soldiers to either Governments or organisations that need them. A number of countries who are more friendly to the Goblin race come to us for help in protection and warding and we help out where we can. For a fee or course." Ragnoks eyes glinted at the last part of his speech and Harry could see the desire for wealth and gold.

Ragnoks eyes darted up to the door, and squinted slightly before turning back to Harry.

"Our chat will have to end here Mr. Potter, Your headmaster and others are on their way back."

Harry couldn't understand why more people were coming to the office, nor could he understand how Ragnok even knew that people were coming. He chalked it down as just another wonder of Magic.

No more than three seconds later there were two sharp knocks on the door to which Ragnok simply called "Enter" in response. Harry craned his neck to see who was with Dumbledore. They old grey haired Headmaster was the first through the door, walking purposefully across the threshold and turning to hold the door open for whoever was following. The second person to enter was the clumsy yet talented young Auror Nymphadora Tonks who was holding Hedwig's cage under her left arm and a small black faded leather rucksack in her left hand. As Harry took in her appearance he noticed that as she entered her usually bright pink hair had seemed to fade a little as though dye had started to fade over time. She was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and an equally tight purple t-shirt with yellow writing that Harry was trying to work out when he realised which part of her body he was staring at. He quickly looked up at her face while trying desperately not to blush. As his emerald eyes met her violet ones he saw her slightly amused look on her face which told him she had seen him staring. Her eyes crinkled as a smile crept onto her face.

"Wotcher!" she greeted with a wink which caused Harry to feel the blush creeping up his neck.

"Hi Tonks." Was the croaked response that came from Harry.

"Please don't bully the poor boy Miss Tonks. I'm sure he's been through enough today" the voice from the doorway sounded calm yet tired. Harry looked past the still smiling form of Tonks, whose hair was now as bright as ever and who was now standing straight backed in mock salute, to the doorway where the haggard form of Remus Lupin stood, carrying Harry's trunk behind him.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the sight of his favourite ex-Professor. The werewolf was looking more run down and older than the last time Harry had seen him. His robes were now more threadbare than ever and his hair was now threatening to be more grey than coloured, even given the man's relatively young age. But even through all of that Harry could only see the man as one of the last links to his parents and his godfather, and a trusted friend.

"How are you Professor?" Harry asked respectfully. He hadn't spoken to the last Marauder since the death of Sirius. With the loss of Sirius, Remus had now lost all of his closest friends. James, Lilly and Sirius had all been lost to Deaths embrace, and Pettigrew had been lost to the lure of Darkness.

Professor Lupins eyes turned to face Harry properly, and Harry could see the pain filled glaze the hazel eyes seemed to house. Harry could feel his heart breaking as he looked into the eyes of his fathers best friend. A new wave of determination crashed over Harry. The pain and injustice caused by Voldemort and his followers had ruined too many lives and Harry swore to himself that he would do everything he could to prevent more pain.

The Professor must have seen a change in Harry cause his face took a suddenly surprised almost fearful look before relaxing again. Harry noticed Lupins eyes gain a slight glean of hope after the surprise had gone.

"I'm well Harry. And yourself?" Lupins voice had a calming and intelligent sound to it that made Harry remember how good of a teacher Lupin had been.

"M'alright I guess Professor."

Harry was then surprised to hear his former teacher chuckle. "Harry, please, I haven't been your Professor for over two years. Now the title 'Professor' just makes me feel older than I already look!"

Harry couldn't help beat laugh slightly at this. He decided that there just wasn't enough laughter around at the moment, so wanted to help remind the infamous Marauder about his youth.

"In that case, I guess I'll have to start calling you Moony"

This sentence was met by laughter from the old Marauder and smiles from both Tonks and Dumbledore.

_Ahum._

The four heads turned swiftly to face the sound of the throat clearing. Harry had almost forgotten where he was and that Ragnok was in the room.

Dumbledore's grandfatherly voice was the first to speak to the Goblin. "Ah, my apologies Director. These two were concerned about young Harry's wellbeing so I decided to alleviate their worries by allowing them to see him here before he leaves."

The Goblin looked at the Headmaster critically, something Harry was unsure he'd ever seen someone do to Dumbledore before.

"Very well Headmaster. Now, I must insist that we call it a night. It's shockingly late, and I for one have to be back here at four!" Ragnok spoke impatiently and with a slightly more cold tone than before.

Harry looked at the ornate clock sat on Ragnoks desk and saw that the time was now shortly after two in the morning and without wanting to be rude, he did kind of want everyone to leave just so he could find somewhere to sleep.

Dumbledore sensed that their welcome had been overstayed, yet did not show it. He instead turned to the Auror and the Werewolf and suggested that they leave, as though it was his idea.

"Mr Lupin, Miss Tonks, I think it is time we headed back. Auror Shacklebolt and Mr Weasley will no doubt be waiting for us!"

Harry stood politely to see them leave, only to be pulled into an embrace by Moony. The hug seemed to ooze with emotion. No words were spoken, but they both knew that the other was in just as much pain as they felt. After a short while Moony released Harry, and held him at arms length. He spoke quietly to him and said "I may not know where you are going, and it's not really my place to say this, but you make sure to let me know you're okay, please?"

The young Gryffindors bravery almost crumbled at these words. He just managed to nod a few times and mumble out a 'I will, Moony.' Before the Last Marauder headed for the door which Dumbledore was now waiting just outside of.

Before Harry had time to think he immediately felt himself being pulled into another hug. Tonks wrapped her arms around his neck and seemed to try and squeeze the life out of him. He awkwardly placed his arms around her, with his hand on the middle of her back. After a few seconds Tonks lessened her grip around his neck, but still held on. She then moved her mouth close to his ear and whispered 'Did you like what you saw earlier?' As she said this she seemed to press herself against Harrys body. Just as Harry was about to splutter out a denial and an explanation a wave of recklessness hit him and he instead turned his own mouth to her ear and whispered back 'I think I might like the view as you leave as well.'

Harry straight away regretted saying it as he felt her body tense against him. He was about to start madly apologising when he felt and heard her start to laugh. It was an experience he'd never had before, and as such, having an attractive young woman pressed against him vibrating with laughter was starting to cause a reaction he had no chance of hiding. Just as Harry was sure she would notice she pulled away from him, her hands now placed on his shoulders.

"Thank you Harry." She spoke with a smile on her face "That was the last thing I expected you to say. That's the first laugh I've had in weeks." Her smile dimmed slightly, and Harry knew that she meant she hadn't laughed since _that_ night.

After a small moment of remembrance she leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Harry's cheek, causing Harry to blush and the area her lips touched to burn.

As she turned and headed for the door she swayed her hips far more than was necessary but Harry couldn't help but stare. As she got to the door she turned and yet again caught him staring. As Harry looked at her face, his face blushed scarlet as she winked again at him before leaving.

Just as the door was closing by itself Harry heard a loud bang and the clattering of metal on stone followed by a loud 'OW!' and quieter 'Not again Tonks..'

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at this. It was the small, seemingly meaningless things in life that most people ignore, that Harry clung to in order to prevent himself from falling into the despair of losing his Godfather. The small moments that bring a smile to peoples faces for few moments meant the world to Harry. His life so far hadn't really had many good times, so any little smile he could get was always worth it. Many would see it as strange and pointless, but Harry saw those moments of normality as a lifeline to prevent himself from succumbing to insanity. So far, he thought it was just about working.

Once more Harry was brought back from his pondering by Ragnoks voice.

"Now that the esteemed Headmaster has decided it is time to leave, it is also time for us to leave. Phoenix has gone ahead and notified those who need notifying of your arrival. This means that once you arrive, someone should be there to welcome you and show you to your residence. If you would like to follow me Mr. Potter."

Ragnok stood from behind his desk and started walking around the left hand side towards the door. Harry hastily got up and put the chair back to where he thought it was before he arrived. The luggage that Tonks and Lupin had brought for him was cumbersom to carry on his own. He had the trunk being dragged along in his right hand, Hedwigs cage under his left arm and the rucksack Tonks had arrived with that Harry didn't recognise in his left hand. Harry was surprised when instead of using the door that the previous four people had left through, he instead turned to the wall. After a moment of fiddling, which Harry could not see, the bookcase started to sink into the marble floor. It only took a few seconds for the eight foot tall bookcase to be swallowed up by the still solid floor. The dark hole behind the bookcase caused Harry to squint to try and see what was ahead of him. The darkness seemed to go on forever until Ragnok took a step forward and his foot touched the black. Instantly small fires burst to life on the walls. The White marble of the bank was no more, instead the passageway was made of the natural rock and gave Harry the feeling of being in the caverns leading to the vaults. As Harry stepped into line behind Ragnok he saw that only twenty feet in front of his was a sharp turn in the path. When they reached the turn, Harry saw a sight that turned his blood cold.

A Veiled Archway.

Harry froze. His breathing was quickly becoming irratic. Ragnok seemed to have noticed the lack of footfalls behind him because he turned round with a questioning look on his face. Upon seeing the terror in Harry's eyes Ragnok slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Ah Mr Potter I should have known. Mr Potter.." Harry was completely oblivious to the small Goblin. His focus was solely on the Dark obsidian archway in the centre of the cavern. It looked strikingly similar to the one which Harry had seen less than a month before.

"MR POTTER" Ragnok shouted to try and break Harry's trance. When this failed he mumbled a harsh sounding word in Gobbledegook which was followed by a large quantity of cold water to be dropped directly on top of Harry's head.

The shock broke Harry and he started to splutter and look around wildly for whoever had doused him.

"Mr Potter. Down here.. Look at me!"

The boys eyes met the Goblin and he looked directly at him. His breath still slightly irratic.

"Mr Potter, I want you to keep looking directly at me while I explain something to you. Can you do that?" Harry nodded his head jerkily in response. "Good. Now, the archway to your right- DO NOT LOOK AT IT. The archway to your right is NOT the same as the one that took your Godfathers life. It is a Goblin designed transportation device. It has been around for thousands of years. We use it daily to move around the world. There are four of these archways on Zurgol. There are two here in this bank and another four dotted around Britain. The archway in your Ministry was their attempt to create a transportation method similar to ours. For what purpose we do not know, but that is neither here nor there. You have my word Mr Potter, that this archway will cause you no harm. I will assist you through if you wish? We can walk through together. That is my way of proving that it will not harm you. We need to get going. Can you walk through with me Mr. Potter?"

Harry's eyes were darting over the face of the Goblin trying to find out if the Director was telling the truth. In the end he sharply nodded once. At this Ragnok offered to take the rucksack from his left hand. After letting go of the rucksack, Ragnok offered Harry his forearm which Harry grasped in a death grip causing the Director to wince. As they moved closer to the Archway Harry started to notice key differences. The Veil on the Archway in the Ministry was a tattered dark grey, almost black with nothing but darkness and whispers coming from beyond. The Veil here was a deep purple material and it was unmoving, unlike the Ministry one. As Ragnok approached the Veil he reached out and pulled the Purple material across, showing Harry what was behind. Harry was instantly transfixed on the purple glow that seemed to resonate from the middle of the Arch. It looked in no way threatening; in fact it almost looked welcoming. After a time of just watching the slowly pulsing light Harry became less and less scared. His thoughts changed from ones of terror to far more accepting ones. He thought that if the worst came to the worst, and Ragnok had lied, and Harry died after walking through the veil, he would at least be with his parents and Sirius in death. With this thought in his head he moved forward, surprising Ragnok by letting go of his arm and moving towards the glow without him.

As Harry stepped towards the glow he closed his eyes. He could almost hear the pulsing of the purple glow, and a slight level of excitement started to rush into Harry. With that excitement, he took courage and stepped through.


End file.
